GEC is undertaking a multi-year initiative to revise its EPEAT Criteria to align with priority sustainability impacts of electronic products and their supply chains. The priority sustainability impact areas include Climate Change Mitigation, Sustainable Use of Resources (or Circularity), Reduction of Chemicals of Concern, and Corporate ESG Performance.
In January 2023, GEC released an Implementation Plan for Updated EPEAT Criteria to guide the transition process. The plan identifies March 30, 2023, as the estimated publication date for the Climate Change Mitigation Criteria. This announcement is to inform stakeholders that the publication of the criteria is slightly delayed. GEC develops criteria using a voluntary consensus process, which requires the Technical Committee to consider all views and reach general agreement, which we believe is fundamentally important to ensuring the development of credible criteria. For the Climate Change Mitigation Criteria, the process was extended in order to reach the highest possible level of agreement among our diverse stakeholders.
GEC intends to publish the Climate Change Mitigation Criteria in May 2023 and will update the Implementation Plan for Updated EPEAT Criteria accordingly.
Please note that the Implementation Plan identifies several firm deadlines that will not change, regardless of any delays in the publication of criteria—these firm deadlines will not be revised. However, some key dates pertaining to the Climate Change Early Adopter Concept (such as the release of training and resource materials), will be updated.
GEC will publish another newsletter announcement when a revised Implementation Plan for Updated Criteria is available.
Please direct any questions to EPEAT@gec.org
